Can charities fill a void left by government cuts?

Salvation army kettle
In this 2006 file photo, a donation is made into Salvation Army bell ringer Juanita Brown's red Holiday donation kettle in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Americans donated almost $300 billion to charities in 2011, but that's far less than the more than $1 trillion the federal government spent on entitlements and safety net programs in 2011.

But total government spending has been falling, leaving gaps that philanthropy can't fill.

Leslie Lenkowsky, clinical professor of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University, and Howard Husock, vice president for policy research and director of the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative at the Manhattan Institute, join The Daily Circuit Wednesday, Jan. 30 to discuss philanthropy's role in a time of reduced public spending.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHARITY AND GOVERNMENT

Are Charities More Effective Than Government? (NY Times' Room for Debate, featuring Lenkowsky and Husock)

Charity's role in America, and its limits (NY Times)